The Devil's Number
by phaedra's love
Summary: Faith and Wesley's plan to dope Angelus up on Orpheus goes south.


Title: The Devil's Number

Author: Phaedra's Love

Fandom: BtVS/Angel

Pairing: Faith/Angelus

Disclaimer: This all belongs to Joss.

When she jabbed the needle into her arm she could barely hear Wesley cry out as Angelus knocked him through a plate of glass and onto a platform below. Faith could suddenly feel the mystical narcotic inside her veins like a singing flame. At first she wanted to panic. She was about to feed herself to a vampire, a super strong vampire that happened to wear the face of her best friend.

Unfortunately she didn't have much longer than a few minutes to process what was happening to her because as she staggered to her feet she was met with a fist in the face. Staggering back into the wall behind her, Faith shook the hair out of her face trying to regain some control of her own limbs again. She hadn't expected the drug to work as quickly as it had, although Wesley had given her thorough explanation about how unpredictable a substance it was. She knew the risks, rolled the dice. Now it was time to put on the show, time to prove that she wasn't still the second best actor in town. Because she knew one wrong move could let him onto her big stupid plan and then...well then she was fucked. As it was she was already pretty sure she was fucked.

"Finally, just me and my best girl." Angelus grinned maniacally down at her, as he approached. "You're lookin' a little tired there, Faithy. Not laying down on me already are ya?"

She felt frozen for all of a minute, staring into the dark orbs that peered back at her, like a panther watching it's prey. Gone was the torment and misery she usually saw when she met Angel's gaze. Angelus was just...blank, a slight wicked glimmer lingering just under the surface. It was that little glimmer that drew her in, against her own will.

"Think maybe you're gettin' a little ahead of yourself." She forced a cocky smirk to dark stained lips. Pressing her palms against the cool concrete she pushed herself up and launched at him. A petite package of fists and reckless rage suddenly hammered down on him. Angelus found himself ducking at every turn trying to evade the slayer's kicks and punches as she lashed out.

Ducking down low to avoid Angelus' swinging fist, Faith pulled the knife out of her boot. In the same swift graceful movement she sprung back up lashing across his chest with it.

"There's my girl!" He chuckled, as he sprung back again narrowly avoiding being sliced apart by the knife. "I knew she was in there somewhere."

"Shut up." Faith growled, desperately trying to block his voice out of her head. If he would just be quiet she could concentrate and wouldn't be completely distracted by the distant buzzing in her ear. Swallowing hard she stared at him, trying to decide which one to lash out at. Because there were two of them, maybe even three smirking vampires all around her now. She could hear their laughter, they surrounded her like a blanket and suddenly she felt like she couldn't breathe at all. Blinking she lashed out with the knife, but too late she realized she'd left her right side completely open. In fact, she hadn't noticed until she fell to the concrete floor hard on her side. If she hadn't even noticed then, she definitely noticed when the screaming pain ran through her thigh.

"You're a killer, Faith. We both know it." His form hovered above her, but he wasn't anything more than a bright fading star. Fading into almost nothing and Faith could almost taste it. She wondered what his kind of darkness tasted like, if it tasted anything like crazy. Because she knew crazy. Reaching out with one hand, she placed it over the handle and started to pull the knife free from her leg. It was slippery sticky and sweet and it clung to her palm. Mesmerized for a minute, she brought her bloody palm up to look at it. So lost in the red splatters she didn't even hear the amused chuckling from above her. "You can try and try to be just like Buffy, but you'll never be Buffy." Angelus grinned and crouched in front of Faith as she looked at him through confused eyes.

Buffy. Buffy. Buffy. Faith was certain she should have remembered this. Something blonde and bland and beautiful spun itself in front of her eyes and she blinked again, bringing Angelus back into view. She figured he must have been tired of her spacing out on him when she felt the knife twisting in her thigh.

"You wanna know why you'll never be like Buffy? Hmm?" Angelus wrapped his hand firmly in the dark slayers hair pulling her face close to his. "Because you get off on the pain. No matter how much you try and deny it, you're a killer. An animal. Just like me." He smirked at her and brushed some of the hair off of her face with his free hand. "Angel would have been happy to see you rot in your cage. Because you know what darlin'?" As Faith looked into his eyes, she felt her hand close around the handle of the knife still slick with her own blood. Angelus leaned in close his lips inches from hers and lowered his voice as if he were telling her his deepest secret. "Because he knew it too."

Buffy. Buffy. That one singular thought swirled around in her mind. Buffy. What was she supposed to remember? She knew it was important too, but wasn't that just like her? Always forgetting the important things.

Angel.

Quickly she pulled the knife out and slammed it into Angelus' chest, a sadistic smile spreading across her lips as he fell back and looked down at the wound in surprise. "You don't know shit." She practically spat at him. He had been right though, she did get off on the pain. That one moment of surprise lingered in her mind, and she was still smiling even as she rolled roughly over the hard concrete floor for the third time.

"You hurt me, baby." The sound of laughter filled her ears again as she sat up clutching her ribs. "I liked it." It didn't take her long to realize that the voice was coming from above. At first she wondered if she was dead and if that wasn't God in the heavens that she was hearing. Faith quickly shoved that idea aside. God had never done anything for her, despite the irony of her namesake. Faith knew all the way to the bottom of her soul that she was on a one-way street to hell.

Come on, let's take that hell ride together.

"Faaaaithy..." It taunted and tantalized her, pulled her forward slowly one foot carefully in front of the other. She marveled at the fact that she could still stand upright. This was like a cruel torture, playing this game, keeping up the act. Why couldn't he just bite her and get it over with? "You were wrong, babe. I know all about you. Little girl lost, from the wrong side of the tracks. What's the matter? Did mommy never tell you she loved you?" Cruel laughter spread itself through the empty warehouse and a shiver ran down Faith's spine. "I bet all her boyfriends did though, didn't they?"

"Shut up!"

"Awww, did I strike a nerve? I tell ya what...why don't you and I play nice then." She knew where that voice was coming from now, but the drug made her sluggish and she began to turn at about half her top speed when two arms wrapped around her from behind and pulled her back violently. The metal of beams connected sharply with the back of her head and she fell to the floor again. She rolled over onto her back and blinked, staring into the stars overhead. The slayer thought about what it would be like to be lost among the stars when she realized that it wasn't the stars but two dark glowing eyes staring down at her.

"You're not even trying. I can smell you from a mile away, kitten." Cool hands gripped her shoulders pushing her further into the concrete. Faith thought if she closed her eyes she might be able to melt into the floor. Instead she forced herself to stare impassively up into his face. "This hero crap, it isn't you." She stiffened as she felt him dip his face down to the flesh of her throat. This was it, the moment. She steeled herself, ready for the pain when he pulled away and smirked down at her again. "I know what you are, little girl. Trying so hard to be something you're not. Trying to be the big bad goodie two shoes slayer. But see..." He chuckled again his hand running up her thigh towards the crotch of her jeans. "...I can smell you, Faithy. And I know you have a big ol' wet spot for evil."

Faith felt her body stiffen under his touch, his hand rubbing up against her and creating friction. She just wanted him to bite her and get it over with. See if her and Wesley's cockeyed plan would actually work. But at the same time, she knew he wasn't wrong. She tried to deny it, even as she fought to stay awake and coherant and not drift away. She'd been in prison for a very long time, and his hand on her most sensitive parts was giving her that good down-low tingle that she hadn't felt in longer than she would have cared to admit. Unconsciously she began to slightly raise her hips off of the cold floor.

The maniacal chuckle began to fill the air around her again, and she couldn't even be completely sure where it was coming from, although she knew it was coming from him. "There's my girl." Positioning himself between her legs he held her wrists over her head with one hand, the other coming to clamp down on her throat. Faith's eyes widened and she began to feel that faint chill of terror running down her spine. This was exactly what she'd been afraid of, he'd just snap her neck or cut off her air instead of trying to bite her. Wesley had assured her that Angelus wouldn't turn down the chance of turning a slayer, but he couldn't be one hundred percent sure.

Angelus began to laugh again and she thought if he were a clown his named would be Chuckles. At first the laughter had chilled her now it began to grate on her. She wanted to slip away, she wanted to drop the act. She wanted to scream at the top of her lungs, demand that he bite her, make him sink his fangs into her flesh.

Blinking, she tried hard to concentrate on the sadistic smile hovering above her face but it was hard to focus on anything. Her head was throbbing and pounding, she could feel her pulse and knew that her heart was racing. His grip tightened on her throat and she balked at it's sobering effect. With awe she stared up into his face, and marveled at the serious expression that had suddenly appeared. "You don't have to be like that anymore, Faith. You don't have to pretend to be what you're not. Not with me. With me..." His voice got lower as he pressed down on her, whispering into her ear. If he had breath she would be able to feel the heat of it, but as it was she couldn't feel anything besides cold death creeping in. "...you can be as bad as I know you are."

Suddenly a crash from below drew both of their attention, and mercifully Angelus' grip on her throat loosened. She sucked in breath by the mouthful, painfully aware that the crash from below meant Wesley was still alive. She had the overwhelming feeling that he wouldn't be for much longer. Not after the fall he had taken.

"Good ol' Wes." Angelus smiled again pressing down on Faith again, but this time his hand trailed down her body. Fingertips lightly brushed her breasts and continued down her body. They stopped, trailing a scar that ran along her abdomen. "Always good for screwing things up!" Angelus continued on and Faith wondered if he would ever shut up. "You know what Wes told Angel about you. Right after you, ya know, almost tortured him to death? He said there is evil in that girl. It doesn't matter what she wants, or says she wants - you set her free - she'll kill again." He paused taking in the look on her face for a moment, and Faith thought he must have been so distracted with himself he hadn't even noticed the lack of anything close to a lucid response.

"Think he was right?" Fangs trailed along the skin of her neck and Faith almost thrust forward automatically, but managed to hold still. Squeezing her eyes shut she didn't think she'd be able to keep up the act much longer. "Still that eager to die, Faithy?" His voice was low and menacing in her ear. "I already know that you do, but tell me you want it. I want to hear you ask for it."

"I want it." Her lips moved over the syllables unconsciously and she wondered if she really had sounded too eager. But she thought if he didn't bite her soon she was liable to scratch all of her skin off to seperate herself from the itch that had taken over.

The sound of his laughter filled the room, as he licked his lips. "Finally ready to take that hell-ride together." Faith heard the growl and knew that he had bought it. Of course, he thought she'd just cave in that easily because of who she used to be. What she used to be. He thought he'd inflicted enough pain by now, to appeal to the crazy that still lurked below. Faith thought that his time trapped inside Angel would have been better spent learning a thing or two. Because Angel would have known. But she didn't care what he'd learned because he had bought it. She'd set the line and he'd taken the bait, just waiting to be reeled in.

Her mouth opened in a silent scream when his fangs plunged into her throat, and she felt a warm tingling sensation spread through her toes as he pressed down on her from above. Unconsciously she raised her hips again as she watched the stars swirl around. Yes, she was sure it would be lovely to get lost among them. Finally she gave into the blinding lights and felt her heart slow to an almost painful rate.

Thump...

thump...

thump...

thump...

thump...

thump.

She tried to count them, but couldn't remember what came after six. If she had been a little smarter she might have stopped to ponder the irony of that, but as it was the only thing she was aware of was death.

Looking up towards the ceiling she saw the glint of silver in front of her eyes. Her knife. She thought no matter where she traveled or how long she lived she'd never forget that knife.

"What's the matter? All that killing, you afraid to die?"

Yes. Suddenly she was afraid, so very afraid and the demon perched on her shoulder was inclined to agree. It taunted her and called her weak as she eagerly accepted the bloodied wrist that lay on her lips.

"Ring around the rosie."

Thump.

"Pocket full of posy."

Thump.

"Ashes ashes. We all fall down."

Taking in a sudden unneeded breath Faith shot up quickly from her spot on the floor. Her eyes widened as she peered around the darkened warehouse. Except things didn't look very dark at all, in fact she didn't think she'd ever been able to see that clearly.

"It's...the buzzing. You can hear it, and then you go to swat and it flies away. Like the air. You can hear it. Can't you? Buzzing all around." Faith's attention immediately turned to her left where she saw a bulking figure hunkered down near the door to the warehouse. Angelus.

Pressing her hands to the floor she propped herself up until she was on her feet. Running a tongue over her teeth she almost yelped when she accidently cut into it with her new fangs. A wicked smile began to draw itself lazily across her darkened lips. She could already feel the new strength, the added grace. Slayer plus vampire, the bonus of not having a soul. Faith felt all that and more coursing through her veins as she took in her sire.

Thump.

"Scratch you out. Find you...there were nuns with the blood. Always blood." Angelus continued to babble as he slipped out through the door quickly.

Narrowing her eyes Faith silently followed after him. It seemed as if the cockeyed plan had worked after all. The great Angelus, driven mad in one fell swoop. It was so painfully beautiful and tragic. Faith knew if he had his wits about him, Angelus would be certain to approve. That was what drove her forward, as she followed him through the door.

She stopped short when she saw what was on the other side. Though it was completely dark she could see with the thin sliver of light that was pouring out from the warehouse. How had she not noticed that there was a small abandoned train station next to the warehouse and book store? Now she could feel it, the bittersweet words whispered. Lovers saying their final goodbyes, sons leaving mothers never to return home again. It spoke to her and she could feel it tingle down to her toes.

Thump.

Tilting her head to the side slightly she wondered through the station. Angelus had disappeared but she knew where he was. His madness spoke volumes and she could hear the slight lilt of 'Ring around the Rosie' coming from inside one of the train cars.

Moving easily across the floor and into the train car, it felt like she was floating. She had never felt this sense of ease, the lackadaisical comfort that accompanied being immortal. Before she had been too fragile, too easily broken. Now she was all too aware just how strong she had become.

"Faith." The word dripped from his insane mouth and her attention was pulled to him. Huddled, hunched over and rocking back and forth on the floor. Sinking down on his lap she put a cool hand to his face and looked into his eyes.

"Shhhhh..." Wrapping her arms around him, he laid his head on her breast and began to sob. "My Angel." She murmured soothingly as she rocked him back and forth. "You don't have to worry about a thing anymore, lover. I'm gonna take care of you now. Just like you took care of me."

Thump.

Her hand closed around something smooth and wooden as she pulled slightly away from him. How very convenient, she thought, as she ripped the wooden railing on the side of the car off and stuck the sharp end into her sire's chest. He gave her a surprised and wounded look just before he crumpled into dust.

With a wicked smirk still pasted on her face, Faith stood up and twisted her neck first to one side and then the other. She was glad she had finally staked him, because she knew. She was the new big bad in town and she didn't want any competition. What was more than that? She didn't think she could spend an eternity with someone who liked to hear themselves talk that much.

She started walking out of the train car with her usual swagger, but couldn't shake the overwhelming sense of hunger.

Thump.

Frowning, she stopped for a moment and listened. What was that irritating thumping noise? Her heart had long since ceased to beat, she didn't understand. As she walked back into the warehouse she was suddenly incredibly aware of Wesley's presence. It had been his heartbeat she had been hearing all along. He was still alive.

With a smirk, she licked her lips and started heading down to the lower platform where she knew Wes still was.

Faith wondered what Wesley would think about the evil that was inside of her now. Really, she wasn't entirely sure that Angelus would have approved of what she had done to him. In the end it had been a merciful and swift end for him, despite his madness. She didn't worry though, she was sure she had plenty of time to practice. She also knew that she would make Wesley scream this time.


End file.
